


From the Past

by Hikarimo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Romance, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25275904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hikarimo/pseuds/Hikarimo
Summary: Seo Youngho, a prince from the Joseon period, is transported to the present day, by a very angry woman, who claimed that his father wrongfully slaughtered her only son.Without knowing how to get back to his own time, he must seek help from anyone willing.To most he seems like a lunatic, someone roaming the streets of Seoul dressed in period clothing, with a very real sword, claiming to be from the Joseon Period, nearly seven hundred years in the past.He's very nearly taken to jail, when he starts a fight with a man on the street, pulling the sword he had attached to his hip, when a young girl, Jung Hwabong, comes to his rescue.will she believe his story, better yet, will she help him, and even then, after he gets to know her, will he even want to go back to his own time?
Relationships: Suh Youngho | Johnny/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. 01

**TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of death**

**Hanyang, July 23, 1392**

The screams could be heard throughout the courtyard of the Palace, they were the screams of a woman in mourning, she lay on the heat soaked stone ground before the large, heavily decorated doors of the Kings banquet hall.

This went on for hours, until the King, Seo Yeonho, couldn't take anymore of the woman's wailing, it was driving him mad with fury, and in that fury, he ended his banquet early. Being the first to rise up to his feet, followed by his son, the King made his way outside to confront the woman.

As he exited the ornate doors, he came upon the small woman, nearly sprawled out on the ground, just at the bottom of the steps, her wails coming close to that of a Banshee. With a rather icy glare, the King stared down at that woman, not an ounce of remorse in his eyes as he looked at her.

" _Why is it that you sit in my courtyard, wailing like a Banshee_?" The Prince could hear the venom in his fathers voice, and honestly, it always scared him when his father spoke in such a manner, to anyone.

In an instant, the woman's crying ceased, and she looked up at the King, a glint of hatred in her aged eyes. " _My son, you killed my son! You had him killed_!" The prince flinched at her tone, but he tried to hide it, he didn't want his father to look at him as weak, but what he tried to hide had already been seen by his father.

" _Your son. You mean the peasant that broke into my palace, and tried to steal the Crowned Princes sword? Certainly you do not mean him. He was a criminal, and criminals deserve to be disposed of_." The woman looked more horrified as the King spoke about her son. He was nothing of the sort.

" _My son did none of what you've said. He was a hardworking boy, he was good, and abided by all of your rules! You took his life because your council could not find who truthfully tried to steal your sons sword_!"

The woman's voice rose to an almost impossible level, and once again, she cause the Prince to flinch, another sign of weakness that the King spotted, and he wasn't letting this one go unnoticed.

" _Does this lowly woman frighten you that much Youngho_? _How can the Crowned Prince be scared of a peasant, such as this... this woman_?" The way the King spoke, the woman, still at the bottom of the stairs, could see that he didn't care about his son, this child was just a way to keep his royal bloodline going. He had changed so much over the years, he was so cold, and had so much pent up hatred in his heart.

Rising up to her feet, the woman finally stood at her full height, it wasn't much, but she wasn't going to kneel any longer, to a man that could care less about anything she had to say. He wasn't going to admit his wrong doing, he would never admit to murdering the wrong person, he had to look strong in front of his men, and his son. 

" _You don't even care for your own son, the way you speak to him. How could I ever think that you would ever apologize for killing my Muyul_." Under her breath she began to chant, from her sleeve she pulled a talisman, and before she tossed it to the ground and burned to ashes, the word 'disappear' could be read.

As the talisman burned away, the King could only laugh, as he signaled for his archers to take aim, before releasing their barrage of arrows on the woman. As they pierced her body, she made eye contact with the King, the light slowly slipping away from her already dull brown eyes, and as the last arrow hit her, square in the heart, blood spilling from her lips, she spoke, never breaking eye contact with the King.

" _I hope you enjoy life without your beloved son, you'll experience life like I will, without mine_." As she fell to the ground, the King continued to laugh.

" _Your Highness_!" One of his men called out with a tinge of horror in his voice, as his hand shook with fright as he pointed behind the King. With an abrupt halt, the King spun around, as his men all let out a collective gasp. His son, the Crowned Prince, something was happening to him, he was disappearing. " _Father_?" The Prince sounded frightened. With deeply furrowed brows, the King took a single step forward, to late, with a slight look of fear in his eyes, He watched as his only son, the only child he had left, disappear into thin air.

For the first time in a very long time, the King had no control over what was happening. He turned from where his son once stood, to look at the body of the woman he'd just ordered his men to kill. She did this, and now, she, the only person that could possibly know where Youngho went, was dead. " _I want you to find her family, anyone that's ever known this woman, and bring them to me! Send men out to find the Prince as well, he must be near_!" The King ordered, and if his men had been listening closely, they would have heard the hitch in his voice.

With his final order, he retired to his room. As he entered, a shaky breath left his lips, and he collapsed to the floor. He would make everyone that woman ever knew pay for what she did, and he would find a way to bring his son back. He had everyone out looking for him, and this woman's family. He would bring Youngho home, he couldn't lose the only member of his family he had left.

Looking up to the wall behind his neatly decorated desk, he admired the drawing of the royal family, a strong looking King, next to his beautiful Queen, Yana, who held a smile unrivaled by anyone in any Kingdom. In front of them stood two children, Youngho, who stood tall and proud, with a hint of that childish smile he had, and next to him stood a beautiful little girl, Mirai, his daughter, the Princess.

" _I'm sorry my love. We've lost both of our precious children, all because of my stupidity_." The King hadn't always been so cruel, he was once a loving King, that showed everyone in his Kingdom respect and love, his kindness was only rivaled by that of the Queen, and the Princess.

But that all came to a halt six years ago, when his wife and daughter were brutally murdered, assassinated, within the Queens own chambers. The Queen had been teaching the young Princess how to embroider, because she wanted to make her brother something for his nineteenth birthday, a present she would never finish, a present he would never see.

It was early in the afternoon, when the Queen's chambers had been broken into, she and the Princess were caught off guard. Both their throats had been slit, and their ornately decorated hairpins stolen.

The King grieved for weeks, his sons own birthday going un-celebrated, but that was a decision made by Youngho, because he too was in mourning for his young sister and his mother. The Princess was only twelve, her life was ended to soon, and horrifically.

Neither the Queen nor the Princess died right away, they bled out for nearly an hour, before a maid finally came to check on the two, only to find them both dead, in a pool of their own blood. The Princess had her small hand clasped around her mothers, tightly, evidence of tears stained both their faces. It was the event that turned the King from a once caring, and loving King, to the man he was today. A harsh, hate filled human being.

He couldn't even look at his own son some days, without seeing his daughter's eyes, or his wife's beautiful smile. But now that the Prince was gone, it dawned on him, how much he really lost, he didn't know if he could survive without his son, he needed to find him, quickly, however he could. He'd use his entire army if he had to. Youngho was all he had left.


	2. 02

**Somewhere in Seoul, South Korea, July 23, 2019**

What was happening? Everything seemed to fly by, it was like Youngho was being sucked into some kind of vortex, everything was swirling together, becoming one big blur, and he was beginning to feel sick to his stomach, and almost to the point that he was going to pass out, vomit, or even both.

Just as his eyes rolled back into his head, Youngho hit the pavement, hard, his head bouncing a bit, he could already feel a knot forming just above his hairline. Attempting to ignore the pain, he rose to his feet, shaking the slight dizziness off, but it immediately came rushing back as he looked around.

The sight around him caused mass confusion. The structures were so tall, and made of odd material. Reaching out, he ran his hand over the cool, smooth material of the building beside him. He half expected it to be wet, with how shiny it looked, but it wasn't.

Pulling his hand away, he looked down to the end of the small alley he'd been "deposited" in, and noticed people walking by, but they seemed weird. The clothes they wore looked nothing like his attire. Youngho was still in his fancy-looking black hanbok from the banquet.

He took a few steps towards the exit of the alley, before a voice from behind bought him to a halt.

" _Hey there nerd, the cosplay convention was last week_." The voice was hoarse, and the dialect made it a bit hard to understand each word clearly, but Youngho could understood most of what he said.

Turning around to look at the man, Youngho's brows knitted together in confusion. " _Cosplay? What's that_?" People in this place used weird words, and weird accents.

The man at the end of the alley let out a laugh, taking heavy steps towards Youngho, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his jeans. " _Don't act stupid now, nerd, its not gonna save you_." From his pocket, he produced a switchblade.

Flipping it out, he walked closer to Youngho, who's hand subconsciously went to the sword resting at his hip, making the man with the switchblade laugh. What would the nerds play sword do for him? " _Now empty your pockets, nerd. Mommy and daddy probably give you a good allowance, and its mine now. So give it over, or you're gonna get it_." The edges of his lips curled into an almost disgusting looking grin, as he continued to approach Youngho.

" _How dare you threaten me, you peasant. Do you not know who it is you're threatening_?" With his hand still on the hilt of his sword, Youngho drew it. " _You should have a real weapon, if you plan to steal things from others_." The sound of cold, hard steel sliding from the sheath caused a look of fear to fall on the other males face, he was so sure that the sword was fake, only to learn that it was anything but.

" _Now, shall I cut off your head and kill you quickly, or take your limbs, one by one_?" Youngho spoke very smoothly, not an ounce of fear or jesting is his voice. He watched as the man in front of him became so frightened, that he dropped his weapon, darting past Youngho quickly, like a mouse escaping a cat, out of the alley. But Youngho was quick and took off after him.

Both men were unaware of the female watching them from the entrance of the alley, even after they began their game of chase through the busy streets of Seoul.

Hwabong was making her way down the crowded street of Seoul, oh her way home from another day at work. Being a barista wasn't as easy as some people thought it was, it wasn't all about just making coffee, you had to deal with a lot of nasty people during the day, and pretend to be nice to them. It was hard to do sometimes, especially on days when it was one after another, and for Hwabong, today was one of those days.

As she walked, she tried her best to avoid the people around her, it was to hot already, and all the people just made it worse. She mumbled to herself about a particularly nasty old woman, she'd ordered the same thing three times, and each time she'd told Hwa that she made it wrong, when it was exactly what she ordered each time. After the third time, she'd given up and had her co-worker Yisuel make the woman's drink.

As she walked, she heard a commotion coming from an alley, just off the side of a small bar that Hwa occasionally visited. Being the curious type of person she was, she looked around curiously, before peeking her head around the corner, and what she saw shocked her, almost making her laugh.

There in the alley was a thug, dressed to the nines in your typical thug-like attire, ripped up jeans, white shirt, leather jacket, you know, the thug look, but what almost made Hwa laugh was the man he was arguing with. He was dressed in, what looked like old historical clothing, something a Prince would wear, his black and silver hanbok, and his little black hat, he looked like a Royal that just walked out of a K-drama.

The thug pulled a switchblade from his pocket, and held it out towards the man dressed up like a Prince, threatening him for his money. Something else that almost cause Hwa to bust a lung was the fact that this crazy looking man, dressed up like a Prince from a K-drama, was nearly a head taller than the thug that was threatening him.

" _How dare you threaten me, you peasant. Do you not know who it is you're threatening_?" The fancily dressed man spoke, and it piqued Hwa's interest. The way he spoke was so proper, and his voice, it was so smooth, not a waiver of fear or amusement present. He wasn't afraid of this thug, if anything, he was ready to throw hands.

" _You should have a real weapon, if you plan to steal things from others_." With that, the man dressed in the fancy-looking hanbok pulled a large sword from his hip. Hwa's eyes grew, just from the way the light hit the metal of the blade, she could tell that it was real, and the glint from its edge told her just how sharp it was. The thugs eyes grew to the size of dinner plates when he saw the mans sword.

" _Now, shall I cut off your head and kill you quickly, or take your limbs, one by one_?" The tall man spoke, not an ounce of jesting in his voice, it frightened Hwa a little, how serious he sounded.

The switchblade in the thugs hand began to shake, as his body trembled in fear, and he screamed. Dropping the blade he darted out of the alley, closely followed by the man with the sword. There was a commotion on the streets as the man with the sword chased after the thug, and it was like, in that moment that Hwa's body acted on instinct. Tightening the straps of her bag, she darted off after the two men, something didn't add up about the man dressed in the hanbok, he didn't seem to belong here. The heat must have gotten to her for real.


	3. 03

Weaving in and out of the throngs of people, Hwa was glad that the man with the sword was so tall, she could easily see him over all the people, his silly hat adding to his height. As they reached a rather busy intersection, Hwa could hear a police officer calling out after the two men, as he watched them run past him, one scared for his life, and the other chasing him with a sword.

The sword wielding madman followed the thug, as he ducked into another alley, which just so happened to be a dead end, and more than likely his end. Letting out a low chuckle, the man with the sword slowly approached the thug, raising the sword in his right hand above his head, he was about to bring it down on the thug, but a voice from the entrance of the alley stopped him.

" _You there, with the sword! Put it down, what do you think you're doing_?" The officer had his gun drawn, aiming it right at the man holding the sword, he wouldn't admit that he was frightened. Never in his seventeen years of service had he faced a man wielding a sword.

Turning slowly away from the thug, the sword wielding man gave the police officer a quirk of his eyebrow. He was growing curious, what was this weapon the man was holding? It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Letting his sword drop down to his side, he approached the officer, giving the thug an opportunity to escape, no longer the target of his mind any longer.

" _What is that weapon you hold? It's like nothing I've seen before in Hanyang_." Stepping closer to the officer, he tilted his head in a curious manner, though his hand was still tightly grasping the hilt of his sword.

It was at that moment Hwabong rounded the corner of the alley, coming upon the man with the sword approaching the officer, and she acted on instinct, once again, calling out. " _Hey! What are you doing? I... uh... I've been looking for you everywhere, Bomin_!"

Approaching the two quickly, she stood between them, staring up at the tall, sword wielding madman, as she heaved in deep breaths, wiping the sweat from her brow.

A smile was plastered on her small, heart shaped face, she was, with all her being, trying to telepathically tell this man to calm down, at the same time, mentally trying to calm herself down. She was standing in front of a man, that could be insane for all she knew, who was wielding a very real, very sharp looking, sword.

" _Who are you calling Bomin_? _My name is nothing of the sort, you shall address me as his Highness_!" He'd lost it, this man was actually crazy, how could Hwabong even think to help him. Why did she even want to? But for the sake of saving both of them in this moment, from being shot by the officer, still pointing his gun at them, level to her back, she would play along with him.

" _Oh yes, right, your Highness, I'm so sorry, how could I forget_?" With a timid hand, she reached out for the sleeve of the mans hanbok, slowly. " _Lets go, its time to go home_." She tugged him along. At first he didn't move, but as she looked back over her shoulder at him, with a pleading look in her eye, he began to move, following her.

She stopped in front of the police officer, giving him a small apologetic smile. " _I'm so sorry sir. My friend is in a play and he's getting really into his role. I'll make sure he doesn't get into anymore trouble_." With a look of slight confusion, and his mouth agap, the officer nodded, letting the two of them pass by him.

As the two of them emerged from the alleyway, she dropped his sleeve, and cleared her throat, shading her eyes from the onslaught of the harsh suns rays that attempted to blind her, as she looked out over the busy street in front of them. " _Where do you live_? _Lets get you home_." Turning around to look up at the man that was nearly two of her stacked on one another, she placed her small hands on her tiny waist, trying to show a bit of authority, but failed miserably, when she cracked a sly grin.

" _Hanyang, in the Palace, take me there now_." His voice held authority, and it somewhat annoyed Hwabong, causing her smile to falter, then disappear. " _I'm sorry your Highness, but there is no palace here_." Her voice was thick with sarcasm, giving him back ten fold, what she was sure in that moment he was giving her.

" _This is Seoul, it used to be called Hanyang, like a super long time ago, probably like seven hundred years ago or something. Now, how about you tell me your name_? _I'm not going to call you '_ your Highness _', it sounds stupid, and really arrogant_." She stared at him with a raised eyebrow, at the look of pure confusion set on his face.

Now that she really looked at him, he was very handsome, even for someone dressed like they just walked out of a period drama. He had quite an adorable oval shaped face, with very sharp eyes, his nose was perfect, very boopable, but if there was one thing that people would notice first, besides the fact that he was nearly twelve thousand feet tall, were his lips.

They were perfect, probably the most kissable lips she'd seen in a long time. Hwabong shook her head, she didn't even know this mans name, and she was thinking about a part of his body like that? She thanked the heavens in that moment that she decided to wear her hair down, because much like her brother, when she became embarrassed or flustered, her ears became red, giving her away.

" _What do you mean there is no Palace, and what is Seoul, I've never heard of this place before, and also_." He gave her a once over, a look of what Hwa could only describe as disgust, " _what are you wearing? A woman wearing what men wear_?" She looked down at her attire, it was a pair of her brothers old Levi's that she'd cut into shorts, and shirt that was about four times to large for her, tucked into the front of her shorts. Having him comment on her clothes made Hwa laugh.

" _You're talking about what I'm wearing_? _Look around you, everyone is wearing similar clothes, you sir are the one that is wearing odd clothes. Now are you going to tell me your name so I can help you_? _Or are you just going to be arrogant_? _Because I have no problem calling you Mr. Arrogant_."

Hwabong could see his hand tighten around the hilt of his sword, and she instinctively held her hands out in a surrendering way. " _Look, your Highness, I'm trying to help you, and I'm trying really hard to be friendly, though your sword is surely helping my friendly demeanor._ " She glanced from the sword, to his face, and back to the sword.

" _Can we start over, and be friendly_? _My name is Jung Hwabong, my friends call me Hwa though, I live here in Seoul, just down the street, its nice to meet you_." With a somewhat cheeky smile spread across her face, Hwa stuck her hand out towards him, waiting for him to shake it, giving him small encouraging whispers to greet her back, and not be arrogant.

The young man stared at her, unsure of what to do, but her encouraging whispers telling him to introduce himself, prompted him to slide his sword back into its sheath, straighten his back, and take her hand, giving it a firm shake, like he'd seen his father do a handful of times. It was almost comical how small her hand was in his.

" _My name is Seo Youngho, I'm from Hanyang, and I live in the Palace. I am referred to as your Highness, or the Crowned Prince, even by my friends_." Yougnho stared at the girl before him, he'd caught her staring, but he was used to it, many people back in Hanyang would stare at him. His face held a hint of sadness as he thought of home, but he instantly brushed it away as he thought of his father, even far away from the man, he still could only think of not being a disappointment to the man.

Hwabong could see the slight look of sadness that passed over his face, but decided against comment on it, when she saw how quickly he pushed it away. Instead she gave him a smile. " _See, now how hard was that_? _Youngho_!" She was happy about the tiny bit of progress they made, just learning his name, though she was already thinking up nicknames for him, because she was a lazy bean, and wasn't going to call him Youngho all the time, nor was she going to call him Young, or even just Ho, weird.


	4. 04

It was then, standing in the middle of the crowded sidewalk, with him, that she got an idea. Snapping her fingers, she let out an excited squeak. " _I got it! We can go back to my house, and look through my history books! I'm sure, if you're telling the truth, there should be something in there about you... you could also be lying, and be some kind of murderer._ " She mumbled the last bit, with a sheepish look on her face.

" _I'll give you some of my brothers clothes, since you can't walk around all the time in that. I'm sure he left something there that'll fit you_." For a moment, she sized Youngho up and down, sure he was taller than her brother, but not by that much, maybe short pants and long socks, with a t-shirt would look cute on him, but she'd have to see what her brother left behind.

With a large grin on her face, Hwa reached her tiny hand out to him, urging him to take it, and immediately her hand was dwarfed by his once again. She knew she had small hands, but even compared to her brother, they never seemed that small. Pushing that aside, she began to walk back the way they'd come, before she chased him and the thug down the street.

The way she swung her hands, and kicked her feet out, with straight knees as she walked, made her look like a kindergartner that was leading the line on a school trip.

As the two of them walked down the crowded sidewalks of Seoul, they garnered many looks, most were focused on Youngho, it wasn't every day they saw a man dressed in clothes from seven hundred years ago.

The walk didn't seem that long to Youngho, but he also wasn't paying attention as they walked, he was looking around at all the buildings and the people. He was utterly amazed at everything around him, this place, Seoul, as the girl pulling him along called it, was beautiful, in a way that he couldn't exactly vocalize.

All the people that passed them by looked different, women had their hair up, down, braided, un-braided, short, long. And most of them wore clothes that Youngho deemed unfitting for any woman to wear. None of them abided by any laws of the Royal family, of how a woman should carry herself. The men were no different in his opinion.

But it was the window of a shop that caught his attention, causing him to stop in his tracks, making Hwabong jerk forward, as she continued walking, while he stood in place just staring into the window.

With curiosity, Hwa stepped closer to Youngho, her hand still clasped firmly in his, as they peered into the window of the shop, a barber shop. Looking up at the tall mans face, she could see a look of confusion. " _What is that man doing_?" His voice was full of uncertainty, as he watched the barber. " _He's giving the man a haircut. Come on, don't tell me you've never had a haircut before_." Hwa looked up at him, with a raised eyebrow.

The way he stared at the two men, it was like he was watching some kind of horror movie, his reaction answered her question. Hwabong's heart lurched, watching his face, and her body acted on instinct. She pulled him away from the window, with all the strength she had, so he could no longer watch the man getting a haircut.

" _Come on, lets get you some new clothes, so you can fit in more with everyone else_." She didn't turn around to look at him, as she dragged him back to her apartment, because she didn't want to start an argument about what he was wearing.

The walk wasn't long to her apartment. When they entered, she had him sit on the small couch, while she went into her bedroom, and dug through the bottom two drawers of her dresser, going through the clothes her brother had left at her place, while simultaneously texting him. She told him that she was lending a friend some of the clothes that he left.

She pulled out a pair of sweatpants, and a green t-shirt. It was what her brother used to sleep in whenever he ended up staying over, when his manager would allow him, but it was the only things she was sure would fit, and least likely make him look silly, and the pants were a bit big on her brother, so maybe they would fit Youngho quiet well.

After searching for clothes that would be fitting for him, she also pulled the few history books she had, from her closet, they could search through them after he'd had a proper, and fresh change of clothes.

The space around him was rather small, perfect for Hwabong, but for Youngho, it was rather cramped. To sit more comfortably on the couch, he removed the sword from his hip, and leaned it against the wall, close to the couch, just in case he needed it for any reason.

While Hwabong was somewhere else in the small apartment, Youngho grew restless of sitting on the small, quite comfy, couch. He stood up and roamed around the small living room, looking at the pictures on the wall. Family photos, as he neared the hallway, he spotted a photo that made him stop.

In the photo was a man and a woman with two children, a little boy and a little girl, both whom were smiling with the biggest toothy grins a child could have. It reminded Youngho of the family portrait his father had commissioned back when the Prince turned twelve.

Bringing his hand up to touch the photo, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to his father. How was he, was he okay? Was he even looking for a way to bring Youngho back home? Dropping his hand down to his side, he looked down the hallway as Hwabong came out of her room carrying some folded clothes and a few rather thick books in her hands.

" _Oh! You got bored_? _Sorry, I was talking to my brother, he said you could borrow these_." She held the clothes out to Youngho, with an adorable smile spread across her face. " _The bathroom is right over there, you can change in there_."

Youngho stared at her with a raised eyebrow, and reached for the clothing. " _What if I need to bathe_? _I haven't had a bath in near two days. Will you assist me with it_?"

At his request, Hwa's ears turned a bright red and she nearly dropped everything in her hands. She couldn't help this grown man take a bath. As if a message from the heavens, her phone buzzed, it was her brother, he was coming over. Of course he was, she'd mentioned that she was lending his clothes to someone.

" _M- my brother will be here soon, he can help you with that_!" Thrusting the clothes into his hands, she ducked beneath his arms, books held tightly to her chest, escaping the embarrassing situation. She nearly dove on to the couch for refuge.


	5. 05

Youngho stared towards the living room, confused. Did he say something wrong? Was it not something they did here, in this place she called Seoul? He always had assistance when he bathed, back in the Palace. With a soft sigh, and a shrug of his shoulders, Youngho went into the bathroom, and was instantly confused.

Every thing in this small room was weird, there was a chair in here, next to that was a weird cabinet, with a bowl in it, and something with knobs. With his curiosity piqued, he set the clothes down on the 'chair' and began touching the knobs on the bowl-like object. As he turned one, water poured out, giving him a small fright, he wasn't expecting that.

Leaving it on, and allowing the water to flow, he turned around, and looked at the large basin against the wall, it too had knobs like the cabinet bowl, but much bigger. He inspected it, and learned that it too expelled water when the knobs were turned, but what he didn't understand was the ornament sticking out of the wall near the ceiling.

He waved his hand in front of it, hit it, even asked it what it did. He wished that he was back home, where things like this were simpler.

While Youngho was in the bathroom, Hwabong sat on the couch, texting her brother, telling him to hurry. He was taking longer than normal, because he was bringing his friend Taeyong, probably because he was hungry, and he knew that Hwa always had an abundance of snacks and ramen.

She sat there, staring at the bathroom door, listening to the sound of running water, and she could have sworn she heard him asking questions, but she pushed it out of her mind when there was a knock on the door, before it flew open, presenting the man she'd been waiting for, for the last half hour, along with his friend.

" _Jung Yoonho! Get in that bathroom right now. He doesn't know what he's doing in there, I think he's talking to the shower_!" Not a hello, or a how are you, the first words out of Hwabong's mouth, to her older brother, was an order for him to get into the bathroom with the 'friend' she had over. Her face and ears were beet red, and she was somewhat frantic, like it was an emergency.

Both Jaehyun and Taeyong stood in the doorway looking at Hwabong like she had seventeen heads. " _You_... _want your brother_... _to do what_? _I thought we were coming over here to hang out after a long freakin practice_... _not to do some freaky stuff_." Taeyong's large eyes grew even larger as he pouted, tilting his head to the side, as he spoke.

Jaehyun couldn't help but laugh at his baby sister, before elbowing Taeyong in the side. " _Jeez, what kind of people do you bring home_? _Was your break up with that boring Changmin that bad that you're dating people that like freaky things_?" Without letting her answer, Jaehyun walked towards the bathroom.

With his hand on the door knob, he turned back to the living room, a grin on his face. " _Don't worry Hwa, I'll take care of your weird friend_." With another smile, he disappeared into the bathroom, but not before announcing that he was there, and that he was entering.

As Jaehyun entered the bathroom, the first thing he noticed was the tower of a person staring at the shower head like it was some kind of mystery, after that, was the odd clothing he had on. Hwabong was right in her texts, he did look like a Prince from one of those dramas she loved to watch.

" _You know, you have to pull that little round thing on the faucet, to get the actual shower to work, but_... _you're gonna want to turn the sink off first_." He pointed at the sink, as he turned the knob, stopping the water, before walking back over to the bathtub, and turning the knobs, letting it warm up, before pulling the little round lever on the faucet, making the water come from the shower head on the wall.

Youngho watched closely as the male before him turned the water, coming from what he now learned was called a sink, off, and made the water come out of the weird wall ornament, called a shower. The names for these inventions were still weird to Youngho, and he was hoping that he wouldn't be here longer than he had to. Learning all of this stuff seemed like it was going to be hard. He could already feel a headache coming on, just from the few things he just learned.

" _Now, seeing that Hwa is a girl, she only has these really girly scents_." Reaching into the shower, Jaehyun pulled out most of the shampoo bottles his sister had, avoiding getting wet at the same time, he read off a few. " _Hmm, she has Rose, Milk & Honey, Hibiscus_... _what the heck Hwa, why do you need so many different scents_?" Making the decision for Youngho, Jaehyun gave him the bottles of Rose scented shampoo and conditioner, taking all the other ones away, as to not confuse him.

But it was useless, Youngho was already more confused than before, but now he was just confused holding two bottles of weird, slimy looking liquid. " _What do you want me to do with these_? _Shall I just hold them while I bathe_?" This earned him an odd look from the other male, who was placing the other bottles underneath the sink.

" _You wash your hair with them_? _How do you not know_? _Come on man, lets cut the act. I'm sure it was cute in the beginning, but its just becoming a hassle. Do you know how much convincing I had to do with my manager, to let Taeyong and I visit my sister_? _And why, to help some guy putting on an act_? _Are you trying to get into Hwa's pants_? _I'll kick your ass if you hurt my sister_." Jaehyun had gone into protective big brother mode, a mode he hadn't been in for going on two years.

Youngho just gave Jaehyun an odd look. An act? Who was acting? This male in front of him surely seemed to be playing up some theatrics, with his little monologue. Back home, this man would have more than likely been beheaded for the way he was speaking to the Crowned Prince, but this wasn't home. " _I assure you, that I am not acting, and I am surly not trying to get into your sisters pants. They wouldn't even fit me, do you not see the size difference between us_? _She is rather small, and I... am not_."


	6. 06

Jaehyun's mouth was agape as he stared at the giant in front of him, his words did seem genuine, and the way he spoke was just odd. The accent he had, and the words he used weren't like any Jaehyun had heard in Seoul before, and he'd lived there most of his life. " _What's your name dude_? _If Hwa hasn't told you, I'm Jaehyun_."

This man had just threatened to ' _kick his ass_ ', and now he was introducing himself to Youngho, like none of that had just transpired. " _You threatened me, and now you want to make friends_?" Both males just stood there for a moment, staring at each other, before Jaehyun spoke up, letting his hand drop down to his side.

" _Do you have a sister_? _If you did, then you'd know my concerns_." Jaehyun's voice was soft.

His words hit Yougnho right in the heart, and he had such a far away look in his eyes. He knew what it was like to have a sister, so in that moment, he knew how Jaehyun felt. He was protecting his little sister from harm, but Youngho wasn't going to harm her, he didn't even know her, but Jaehyun didn't know this. His own sister, Mirai, was much like Hwabong, in a way, she loved to help people, to much, sometimes she even told their father that she felt compelled to help them, even if she didn't know them.

It got her scolded more times than not, but she continued to do it, no matter what, and she was also used for her kindness by some of the villagers. Those who used her kindness where almost always arrested, and sentenced to public punishments, though it didn't turn people away from using the Princess's kindness to their advantages. 

It was one of the many things that started to turn their father into a cold man towards the villagers, before the untimely death of the Queen and Princess, which turned him into a ghost of the man that he once was.

" _I did, yes. She was much like your Hwabong, but she is passed on now, so Jaehyun, I do know your concerns. I do not intend to harm your sister, she has been nothing but kind to me. When I return home I would honor her, even if she may not be there in my time to accept the honor, it will go down in history. Also, you may call me Youngho_."

Jaehyun stared at Youngho, standing in his sisters bathroom, he just got a feeling that he was speaking the truth, and he could also feel that this man would keep his sister safe. It'd been a long time since he felt this way about anyone that Hwabong introduced him to, not that she introduced him to this man at all.

It was more like she forced Jaehyun into the bathroom with him. After showing Youngho a few more things, he excused himself, letting the other know that he would be out in the living room, and to come out when he was done, and dressed. He couldn't shake off the things he'd said about returning home, and Hwabong not being in his time. What did he mean by that? He was really weird, but Jaehyun kinda liked him already.

Hwabong and Taeyong had been sitting in the living room, basically staring at the bathroom door the whole time, until the thick history books on the coffee table caught Taeyong's eyes.

" _Bongie, why do you have your old history books out_? _Didn't you hate that subject back in school_?" The older boy asked, as he lifted one from the table and casually flipped through it.

" _I dunno, I took them out last night, I was having a nostalgia night of things I hate. It was weird_." Hwabong lied through her teeth about the books, she couldn't tell Taeyong about Youngho, he'd probably think both of them were going crazy.

" _Hmm, that's weird, but okay, whatever you say. I'm gonna go get a snack, practice was super hard today. We learned a new choreo, that I can't tell you about, but I'm gonna tell you anyway, because I gotta tell someone else, that isn't the guys_..." Taeyong's voice faded out as he continued to talk, while he walked into the kitchen, most likely looking for ramen, that Jungwoo, who she'd hung out with the day prior, had eaten.

He was the number one food fighter after all, Hwa had to keep him fed, and he was also adorable, she could never say no to him, he was like the twin she never had, they shared both the same birth year and birthday.

Exiting the bathroom, Jaehyun made his way to the living room, collapsing onto the couch beside his sister. " _That dude isn't so bad, just doesn't know how to use anything. He was talking to the shower, asking it how it worked, but he's a nice guy, you should keep him Hwa_."

Jaehyun joked, poking his sister in the side, watching her jump, as her ears turned a soft pink. She couldn't keep this man, he was a stranger, and plus, she had to get him back to wherever it was that he came from, even if it really was the past. She opened her mouth to reciprocate her thoughts to her brother, when Taeyong came out of the kitchen whining.

" _Bongiiiiie, you have no more ramen that I like. Jungwoo was over here yesterday, wasn't he_?" He looked like one of those collapsing tube men in front of the car dealerships, the way he was flailing his body like a child.

" _Yongie, you act like you weren't over here for your birthday a while ago, eating all my snacks, like you knew I was going to hang out with Woo the day after_." She gave Taeyong a triumphant grin when he deflated, knowing that she was telling the truth.

" _Why don't we just go out, and get something in Meyongdong. You can bring Ol' Johnny-boy in there, get him accustomed to the city_." Jaehyun spoke up, looking from his sister to Taeyong, gauging their reactions. He could tell that Hwabong was considering it, the way she nibbled on her bottom lip and rubbed chin. Taeyong on the other hand was just nodding, he didn't care what they did in that moment, he was just hungry, and wanted food.

" _Okay, so when he comes out, we'll take him with us, and Yoonie, we're using what you just called him as his new nickname, but just Johnny. I hope he's alright in there, I haven't heard any noise for a while_." Hwa looked over her brothers shoulder towards the bathroom, where Youngho still was, and the water was still running.

" _Maybe you should go check on him, he might have somehow drown himself in the shower or something_." Hwa was a little worried about the man she just met, she didn't want him to hurt himself.

In the bathroom, Youngho was going through what Jaehyun had told him, using the clear slimy liquid first, before washing it out, and using the more opaque one after, letting it sit in his hair for a bit longer.

So while the conditioner was in his hair, he picked up the little purple puff, and rubbed the bar of sweet-smelling soap on it, watching as it lathered up into about a million bubbles, most of them dripping down his arm, and on to the floor of the shower. He quickly washed his body, feeling somewhat better than he did earlier.

He hung the little poof up on the wire rack near the corner of the shower, before rinsing the conditioner out of his hair. The feeling of his silky locks running through his fingers was odd, he wasn't used to his hair feeling this way, it was almost like he was touching someone else's hair.

Once he felt that he was sufficiently cleaned, Youngho turned the water off, and stepped out, looking around for something to dry himself off with. The only thing he saw was a small piece of fluffy material hanging next to the sink, so he grabbed it, and dried himself off the best he could.

It wasn't very effective, the material was very small, and not that absorbent, but it would have to suffice for the time being.

Once he deemed himself dried enough he tackled the obstacle that was the clothing that Hwabong had given him, which confused him before he even tried putting them on.


	7. 07

As the three of them were conversing about who was going to go into the bathroom, and check on Youngho, the water suddenly turned off, and the soft sound of a struggle could be heard. Hwabong pushed on Jaehyun's shoulder, signalling him to go in and check. " _You've already been in there, he accepts you_! _Plus you're a dude, I'm not gonna go in there with a naked man_."

She rolled her eyes, pushing his shoulder again, causing her brother to groan, and Taeyong to laugh, and Jaehyun grinned evilly. " _You act like you've never seen a naked man before, Hwa_." At her brothers words, Hwabong's ears turned a bright red, which were covered by her hair, hiding her embarrassment, but Jaehyun, being her brother and how close they were to one another, he already knew. They were best friends, they told each other everything, even sometimes without words. He just liked to poke fun at her whenever he could.

Hwa pushed him again, harder than the last time, causing him to fall from his seat on the couch. " _Fine, you wanna push me around, I'll let you this once_." With a cheeky grin on his face, Jaehyun's signature dimples were on full display as he walked backwards away from the living room, giving a playful glare to his sister.

He knocked on the bathroom door, telling the man inside who it was, and waiting for his reply, before walking in. After hearing a holler from Youngho that he was decent enough for Jaehyun to enter, he disappeared into the bathroom, the first thing that caught his attention wasn't the fact that Youngho was holding a hand towel to hide his private are, but the fact that his hair was nearly longer than his sisters. He also had a set of abs that any many could only wish for.

" _Holy cow_! _You've got some long hair dude, that's pretty cool, reminds me of Yuta's hair in our recent comeback_." He mumbled to himself, while still admiring Youngho's hair, before bringing himself back to the situation at hand " _I heard a bit of a struggle going on in here. You need help with anything_?" Jaehyun watched the man before him look from the clothes that were now strewn on the floor, back to him.

" _There are_... _so many articles of clothing, which do you put on first_?" Youngho picked up the pair of boxer briefs, and the pants with one hand, holding them out towards Jaehyun.

" _Well first off, you need to dry yourself all the way_. _You can't put your clothes on while you're wet, it doesn't make for a pleasant feeling, and after that, you're going to put these on_." He took the boxer briefs from Youngho, and held them out for him to see, " _then you're going to put the pants on after_."

He grabbed a full sized towel off the rack above the toilet and handed it to Youngho, telling him to dry off with that, and he would wait just outside the door for him to finish.

Jaehyun stepped outside the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, leaning lazily against it, earning a look of curiosity from both his sister and Taeyong.

" _He didn't know which clothing item went first, I'm glad you sent me in, he might have had his underwear on the outside of his pants, and good lord, wait until you see his hair, Hwa, I think its longer than yours_." Of course he left out the part about his body, he didn't think it was really information that they needed to know.

This statement made Hwabong gasp, she knew that Princes of the era that he claimed to come from had long hair, but she'd never seen just how long it could actually be. Every drama she watched, they always kept it up in a top knot, she was excited to see this.

There was a soft knock on the bathroom door, alerting Jaehyun to move, before the door was opened, revealing a half dressed Youngho. In one hand he held the towel, and in the other he held the green shirt Hwa had given him to wear. He cleared his throat, he'd spent a few minuets in the bathroom trying to figure out just how to tell them that the shirt didn't fit, without seeming rude, or disrespectful.

Hwabong and Taeyong were stunned by what they saw, his hair was most definitely longer than Hwa's hair, but besides that, this man was ripped! You could wash your clothes on his abs, and he looked really good in black sweatpants. He was also a melanin king, bronzed by the gods! They were all pulled out of their stupors when he spoke.

" _Uhm, this garment here, it seems to be to small_. _Do you maybe have something larger_?"

To Hwabong, he seemed a little nervous when asking for a larger size of t-shirt, almost like he wasn't used to telling someone that something wasn't right, or that he might be seen as ungrateful for the hospitality that she was providing him with. Hwa shot up from the sofa and walked over to him, avoiding the fact that he was shirtless. Of course she saw what he had to offer, this man was ripped.

" _I think Jae has something bigger, a button up maybe_?" She looked towards her brother, both of them mentally going through the clothes that they knew he'd left here each time he stayed over. " _I think in the closet I left a button up that was to big for me_. _The one you got me for my birthday, remember_?" Jaehyun couldn't remember exactly what the shirt looked like, but he could remember that it was to big for him.

_"Oooh, yes_! _Let me go get it_!" Taking the green shirt from Youngho, Hwabong disappeared into her room, before emerging back into the hallway with another shirt. This was another short sleeved shirt, with a design of horizontal stripes on it. " _Here Johnny, try this one_!" She hadn't realized in that moment she'd called him Johnny, it just slipped from her mouth unnoticed by everyone but Youngho.

" _Who is_... _Johnny_?" His voice held much confusion as he reached out for the shirt, slowly sliding it over his arms, before fiddling with the tiny buttons, before becoming frustrated to the point Hwabong just brushed his hands away and buttoned it up herself, making sure not to touch his bronzed skin.

" _Wha- oh_! _Its a nickname that Jaehyun came up with for you, I think it fits you quite well, don't you_?" She looked up with hopeful eyes, like a puppy waiting for its owner to take it on a walk. Youngho spoke the name a few times, trying to get used to it. He'd never been called anything but Youngho, Crowned Prince or your Highness before, but for the sake of being in a new place, he would let it slide.

It was also, in a way, like a breath of fresh air. He felt like maybe he could let himself go, like he did on occasion when he was with his friends back at the Palace.

" _I guess its okay_." He watched Hwabong's eyes light up, she reminded him of a child watching a magician, being amazed by the show. She did a little happy dance, which caused all the boys to chuckle.

Hwabong gave Johnny a once over, before realizing one more thing, he didn't have any shoes. " _Jae, go get your converse from the bottom of my closet, we can't have Johnny walkin' around with no shoes on_!"

Rolling his eyes, Jaehyun went into his sisters room, and grabbed the shoes she'd told him to get. Hwa was lucky that she was his sister, he didn't even let Taeyong boss him around, and he was the leader of their group.

Coming back out he had the shoes, and a pair of socks in his hand, holding them out to Youngho. " _Now, put the socks on first, then put the shoes on_." He didn't want to sound sarcastic, he just wasn't sure if Johnny knew.


	8. 08

They all watched curiously as Johnny walked over to the couch and proceeded to put the shoes on, lacing them up and everything, all on his own. Hwabong looked like a mother that just watched her child take its first steps, while the boys just looked at each other, rolling their eyes comically at her reaction.

In her excited state, Hwabong moved over to Johnny and pulled him up by his hand, pulling him back to his full height, which towered over her, making her look smaller, even with the other two skyscrapers in the room.

" _Jae proposed that we go out to get something to eat, there are some nice places just a train ride away! It'll be a learning experience for you_!" She may have been a little overexcited about taking Johnny out among the people, she couldn't wait to see him experience all these new things. She was embracing that he was from another time, even though she was still a little skeptical about it.

" _Lets go, lets go_! _I'm hungry_!" She hadn't noticed that she was still holding tightly onto Johnny's hand, or that he hadn't even agreed to go out in public, as she made her way towards the door, the tall man just let her lead him along the way, it was how his sister would pull him around when she was excited about things that she wanted him to see.

In that moment, a fond smile found its way onto Johnny's face, watching the girl get excited about food.

Jaehyun and Taeyong were dressed rather funny to Johnny, they worse hats pulled down low over their eyes, and a mask that covered their faces, like they were going undercover. He wanted to ask why they were being so odd, but lost the opportunity when Hwabong led them out of the apartment.

Hwabong lead the group of boys to the train station, the place she wanted to go to was in the Meyongdong markets, she wanted black bean noodles, and they had her favorite. As they entered the station, Hwa turned to look at Johnny and finally noticing that she was holding onto his hand, she dropped it like a hot pot, eliciting giggles from her brother and Taeyong, and a confused look from Johnny. He thought it was quite nice, but perhaps she didn't, he wouldn't say anything, for fear of possibly making her angry.

Trying to ignore the giggles from the other two, Hwa cleared her throat, and looked up at Johnny. " _Have you ever ridden on a train before_?" She swiped her cash T-money card twice, once for her, and once for Johnny. She would have to show him later where to get one and how to use it, that was if he was going to be here for longer than either of them expected.

Looking around at all the people around them, and the trains that pulled in and away from the station, Johnny was amazed, he'd never seen anything like this before, and it was all right underneath their feet. It reminded Johnny of the story books his sister used to read, about little creatures, and how they lived alongside humans, right under their noses, their homes right beneath their feet, and they were none the wiser to their existence.

Shaking his head, he looked back at the small girl beside him. " _Never, this is my first time even just laying eyes on one. I've only ridden horses_."

Jaehyun and Taeyong trailed behind Johnny and Hwabong just a bit, Jaehyun observed the two of them, while Taeyong was glued to his cell phone, more than likely texting Jungwoo, telling him that he was going out to dinner with Hwa.

The two of them always liked to have friendly little competitions over who liked Hwa the most, or which of the two she liked better. It was a battle that neither of them ever won, mostly because Hwa always found out, and decided to hang out and shower the Maknae of their entire group, Jisung, with her love and affection.

Jaehyun pulled on the sleeve of Taeyong's shirt, to guide him to the platform so they could wait for the train.

Hwabong was busy telling Johnny all the things that he was going to see when they arrived in Meyongdong, and all the good food that they could get there. She was so caught up in her raving that she didn't notice the way that Johnny was looking at her.

His eyes were filled with an grateful admiration, and his mind began to wander, thinking about what would have happened to him if she hadn't showed up, he more than likely would have killed that tiny man with the knife that was trying to threaten him, and he would have been on the street in this unknown place all by himself.

He nodded along to her words, hearing them, but not actually understanding what it was that she was talking about, his mind was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, he hadn't even realized that they had stepped onto the train, until Jaehyun gave Johnny a push to sit down, while he and Taeyong stood, holding on to a metal pole that was placed in the middle of the walkway.

He was again going to ask why they were doing something that seemed odd to him, but before he could, his attention was ripped from them to the scenery outside, and how it quite literally flew by the window.

Looking behind him, anyone would describe Johnny as a little child admiring a magician doing a magic trick. His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open a bit, it made the elderly woman in seat beside him chuckle.

" _Its a beautiful view, isn't it_?" Her voice was kind, but when Johnny turned his head to agree, he froze. This woman, she looked exactly like the woman that had been in the courtyard of the palace. The one that accused his father of killing her son.

The way she stared at him spoke in volumes, the adoring smile, the slight crinkle at the corner of her eyes, it was like she knew what he was thinking, like it was her way of confirming what he was thinking.

But how could it be her? Johnny had watched his fathers men kill this woman, she'd been shot directly through the heart. He watched the life drain from her eyes, she was dead, but then how could she be right here, sitting next to him on this train, in a different time and place.

While Johnny was having a near mental break down, the old woman slipped a small piece of paper towards his seat, before she got off at her station stop.

From the corner of her eye, Hwabong watched the elderly woman beside Johnny interact with him, though he didn't really interact with her, she could see the slight distress in his face.

Reaching over, she placed her hand over his, " _are you alright_?" She was concerned for him.

Johnny stared straight ahead with a rather vacant look in his eyes, like he was a million miles away. It was his stare that made Hwa want to turn around, and just go back home. Maybe being out around all these people was to much for him, a culture shock, possibly.


End file.
